The Eternally Locked Mystery
by LawlietLover20
Summary: Everyone knows about best friend Rachel Moore of Jimmy Kudo. But for some reason, near to no one knows about Jimmy's best crime solving friend Isabella Thorn. The greatest female detective in France that moved to Japan with her parents only 3 years before Jimmy turned up missing. Well, now you will. Im using the u.s version because im not very familiar with the japanese one
1. Chapter 1: Where Everything Connects

The Eternally Locked Mystery 

Isabella's Story: When Isabella was 10 she discovered her love for adventure and mystery. Her mother told her to look into the Sherlock Holmes stories and see if they would hold her steady for a while. Well, Isabella immediately fell in love with Sherlock and every story drowned her in her love for adventure and mystery. At age 13 she created a neighborhood mystery squad as she called them. They were much like the junior detective league that Conan is a part of. After solving many mysteries, childish and serious, Isabella continued her hard work as a detective in school and when her parents moved her to Japan, she worked even harder on being the best and two words are to blame: Jimmy Kudo. He challenged her in every way and she could never beat him. So Isabella eventually decided that instead of trying to beat the best in Japan that to team up with him instead. Of course her name would never make it into the paper with him because of how hot headed he was, but you could always see her in the back of all of his front page photo, standing there with a small smirk on her face. Once Jimmy went missing she assumed that he left the country to assist on other cases. 'Here's my chance' she thought, and then Richard Moore took over. She noticed something off about this right away and looked into it. Richard became great when a child by the name 'Conan' moved in with them. Isabella met Conan a few times on a case or two she had been working on and managed to knocked off his glasses at least once. That's when her suspicions got deep and she drowned herself in trying to find Jimmy, but way too many things lead back to Conan.

Chapter One: Where Everything Connects

As Isabella sat at a computer desk in her school, she searched deep into the missing Jimmy Kudo case she had put together herself. As she sat back in the chair she unclipped her long lushes, multi-shades of golden locks allowing them to fall down her back as she shut her eyes. Her light navy blue blazer sat on the back of her chair, her green tie hung untied around her neck and her white button down collar shirt lay completely unbuttoned and open, hanging behind her and on top of her chest, her sleeves rolled up with a black tank top underneath and a cotton candy lollipop in her mouth in substitute for the traditional detective cigarette. Isabella refused to smoke but a lollipop stick often looked like a cigarette from a distance, so she enjoyed her illusion as she swirled her tongue around the lollipop. She opened her eyes slightly and glanced out at the snow covered courtyard. Her fascia eyes glistened lightly from the falling snow combined with the setting sun. "It'll be dark soon." she whispered to herself. She sat up quickly and rested her elbows and forearms on her thighs as she hunched over, her long hair falling over her shoulders and nearly covering her eyes. Isabella looked down at her boots as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm trying my hardest Jimmy. I really Am." she whispered, then cupped her face in her hands and sobbed lightly. "But you're the one case I can't crack….. The person I can't seem to save…." She cried and held herself. Rachel stood in the door way of the Library looking at her and lowered her head with a frown playing on her lips. She shut the door to the library and stood against the wall with a deep sigh when her cell went off. "Hello?" she answered as she placed the small device to her ear. "Hey Rach!" Jimmy responded on the other line happily. "Jimmy?" Rachel started slowly. "What's wrong Rachel?" Jimmy asked softly. "You should really contact Isabella sometime soon. She hasn't seen you since you left and she thinks you're in danger. She's been staying at school late trying her best to put together what could have happened to you." Rachel told him. Conan clenched his bow tie in his hand and lowered his head. He remembered Isabella so well and couldn't imagine her with tears in her eyes but at this time he could. "Do you have her number?" He asked in his actual voice. "Yeah." Rachel read off Isabella's number. "Just let her know your ok." She said to him. "I will." He said happily. "Oh, look at the time. Rachel, I've got to go, they are going to need me back on the case anytime now. See ya!" and without letting her say good bye he hung up. Conan walked over to Dr. Agasa and handed him the number. "Call her and tell her to meet me here." He instructed him. "And how do you plan on meeting this girl Jimmy?" He asked him. "Easy. I'm going to tell her that I'm Jimmy." He stated. "You know this is very dangerous." Dr Agasa reminded him. "I know but she's the only other detective that could possibly help me and I know she will." He said smugly with a smirk. "And how do you know this?" Agasa asked him. "Because…. She's Isabella Thorn." He looked at the number on the desk, and then grabbed it. "Better yet." He picked up the phone again and dialed in the number. It rang a few times, then voicemail. No answer at all.

Isabella buttoned up her white shirt and folded her tie in her hands. She stuffed the tie into her school back with her lap top, and then put her blazer back on. The sun had already set by the time she reached in her bag for her cell. Isabella grabbed her cell and placed it in her skirt pocket as she pulled her coat on with her gloves, hat and scarf. She pulled her phone out again and checked it. "Missed called?" she questioned to herself and saw she hadn't known the number, so she called it back. "Hello?" Dr Agasa answered the phone. "Um, hi... This is Isabella Thorn. I missed a call from this number?" she questioned. "Oh, yes. I have a message for you Miss Thorn. Jimmy said to meet him at his home tonight." Agasa said gingerly. Isabella's face lit up. "What time?" she asked excitedly. "Eight o'clock." _that's an hour away. _She thought. "Let him know that I'll be there!" she said excitedly and hung up the phone. She ran out of the front school doors and straight to the train station not trying to miss a moment of seeing Jimmy. The minute longer she waited, the more anxious. She'd been worried sick for months and had no real leads on what happened to him. She ran off the train and directly to his house. _7:50, I made it with time to spare. _She thought happily as she rang the bell. "Hello?" a small voice echoed out. Isabella was taken again. "Conan?" she questioned. "Oh you're here!" He said in shock. "Yes, where's Jimmy?" she asked. "He's here. I'll let you in." He said excitedly. "Ok, hurry up its co- aaah!" Isabella screamed. Two men dressed in all black grabbed her and pinned her down. "Help!" she screamed. The blond man smirked. "Your beloved Jimmy is dead kiddo and now, so will you…. You shouldn't have put your nose where it didn't belong." He told her in a raspy hushed voice. "Noooo!" she screamed as she squirmed trying to get away from them. The bigger man grabbed her by the jaw and held her mouth open, forcing her to take the same pill they did Jimmy. The blond knocked her over the head once and she hit the floor unconscious. The two men jumped into a black car and drove away. Conan heard everything on the other side of the intercom and tried to get out there as fast as he could, but when he did it was too late. Isabella's body had already shrunk. Her small body lay there lifeless in the snow, her clothes hanging from her small frame. Conan lowered his head and lifted her into his arms, carrying her back into the house where he laid her down on a couch and sat on the floor. The one person he was sure could help him, was now stuck with him.

Isabella rolled over on something soft. She slowly opened her eyes to look around her. _I'm alive?_ She thought as she sat up. _This is Bucker Kudo's study in Jimmy's house. _ She thought as she stood up to stretch. "Jimmy?" she called out, then grabbed her throat in shock. "My voice?" she questioned herself, then panicked. _ Why do I sound like I'm 9 again! _Isabella looked around the room hoping to find a mirror. "Look whose up." The voice of a little boy echoed through the study. "Conan?" Isabella turned around. "Yes…. And no." He stated as he walked closer to her. "Isabella….. I'm Jimmy." He said softly. "And you've been shrunken to my age." He informed her. "Poppy-cock!" she told him as she crossed her arms. Isabella looked down at herself, eyes wide. They were that of a child. Her voice was small and squeaky. "Oh god…" she trembled as she ran her hands over her chest and over her curves and hips. "My body… What's happened to me!?" she screamed with tears in her eyes. "Jimmy, what's going on?" another girl's voice came from the other room. "She called you Jimmy." Isabella said in a shaky voice. A Girl with short light brown hair walked into the room. "It appears someone else has fallen victim to the APTX 4869." He told the girl. His voice was serious and angered. He sounded just like Jimmy when he was about to solve a case. The girl's eyes widened as she walked over to her. "Who drugged you? Why did they do it?" She asked her. "Vi, stop it." Conan grabbed Vi by the shoulder. "I don't know who they were but they told me I was in too deep and that they wanted me dead." Isabella growled. "I didn't want this. NOW WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME DAMN IT?" Isabella screamed in fear and anger. "I don't like this. Is it temporary? Is it permanent?" she questioned. Conan and Vi looked at each other and sighed. "We don't know…." Conan stated. Isabella slumped down to the floor and started to take deep breaths. "ok, can the two of you explain?" She asked. The two of them nodded and Conan began to explain what had happened to him then Vi explained her connection to it all. Isabella curled up and hugged her legs. "I see." She answered softly. "So what am I to do now Jimmy?" she asked him, now completely believing that it was him. "I guess….. You have to stay with us and do what we've been doing until everything gets put together." Conan said to her. Isabella looked at him. "So I now have to change my name from Isabella Thorn to what?" she asked him. "I'm not sure. I figured mine out myself and Vi was given her name by Dr Agasa." Conan informed her. "hmmm…" Isabella leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling as she thought about it. Then, a smile cracked on her face. "Irene." She grinned as she sat up right. "Irene Vine." She said happily. "Why the name Irene?" Vi asked already knowing the answer. "Because;" Isabella smirked and looked over at Conan. "Because, every Sherlock needs an Irene." She laughed just a little as Conan's face turned bright red. "Something wrong Conan?" she asked him in a teasing voice. "Shut up Isabella!" he told her. "Who's Isabella? My name is Irene." She winked at him. "stop it Irene." He told her with his face red as a tomato. Isabella laughed happily then took a deep breath. "So…." She bit her lip. "I don't want to be a bother to Agasa, so where am I going to stay and tell my parents?" Isabella asked him. "I'm not sure." He told her again. Isabella smiled as she pushed her golden locks over her shoulders and pulled it into a tail. "Can I get a pair of jeans, a blouse, scissors, needle and thread? I've got work to do on my clothes. Also, paper and pen please!" she smiled, "Ok." Vi told her and walked off. Conan looked at her in confusion. "what are you doing Isa- I mean, Irene?" He asked her. Isabella smiled. "I'm going to make myself some clothes and then, im moving in with you and Rachel." She grinned. Conan's face flushed red then went pale. "for once, Irene will be with her Sherlock." She giggled. Conan could see it now: He was going to be living in the same house as his own love interest and his greatest teaser; Isabella Thorn.

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OOS: I know that i am still working on my Inuyasha fan fic as well, but i couldnt let this one pass me by! lol. I hope you all enjoy it and chapter three for inuyasha should be published soon! till then, Lovely Claws. ^_~


	2. Chapter 2: Settling In

Chapter Two: Settling In

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Conan looked over at Irene as they walked to the Moore residents. Isabella – now Irene – now adjusting to her child like form walked close to Conan. Her hair was held up in a pony tail that fall half way down her back. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans with a thick warm coat and scarf. She sighed softly and leaned against Conan slightly. "This sucks so much….. I have to act like a little kid again." Conan looked at her. "It's not so hard." He stated. Irene looked up at him. Even as children he was taller than her. "Easy for you to say, I didn't fit in as a kid because I didn't act like one growing up. Now that I am grown up, trying to act like a kid will be a pain in the ass!" Conan wrapped an arm around Irene's shoulders and rubbed softly. "It'll be alright, I promise…." He assured her as the approached the home of the Moore family. "And look at the bright side, you'll be ten soon." He tried to cheer her up. Irene smiled at him. "Oh Conan, you're so silly." She sighed. "Isabella would be turning 17 in a week. I don't know about Irene." She stated to him. Conan smiled at her as they climbed the stairs to the apartment. "My birthday is still the 4th of May, it doesn't need to change." He opened the door to the apartment. "Hey Richard, where's Rachel?" He asked as he walked in. Richard looked at him annoyed. "Her room." He told him with an attitude. Richard's attention was instantly taken from the kids and back to the TV in front of him as Yoko Okino appeared on the screen. Conan and Irene giggled at his reaction and ran directly to Rachel's room.

"Rachel?" Conan asked softly as he popped his head into her room. Rachel was sitting at her desk, worry covered her face. At the sound of Conan's voice she spun around and glared at the boy. "Conan!" she hollered. "Where have you been?" she growled slightly as she stood up and walked over to the small boy. "I'm sorry Rachel!" he pleaded. "Jimmy called Agasa's looking for me. So I spoke to him and he asked a favor of me. He asked if we could help out a friend." He said softly as he back away from Rachel and bumped directly into Irene who stumbled to her butt on the floor. "Ow…" she said softly. Rachel looked behind Conan confused. "See, Jimmy solved a case over in France recently, but left this girl mother-less and her father's where-about are unknown. Jimmy sent her here in hopes you could take care of her." He lied. Irene smiled sheepishly at Rachel. "Oh I see…." She responded softly. "What's your name?" she asked her. Irene stood up quickly. "Irene Vine." She said softly. "Irene… I know that name…" Rachel said softly. "It was the name of Sherlock Holmes love interest. Her name was Irene Adler." Irene smiled happily. "Oh, you like Sherlock Holmes as well?" she asked her. Irene nodded. "Yep, that's how I and Jimmy bonded whilst he was working on my mother's murder case." Her voice softened, almost into a saddening tone. "He right away caught onto my name and we just spoke of detective things." She said softly. "Told him my mother named me. She was a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes." She smiled a disturbing, heart breaking smile. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I miss my mommy…" she whimpered out. Rachel grabbed Irene into a hug and held her tight. "I told Jimmy, I wanted to stay with you. He spoke of you so often, and I just thought 'she sounds awesome.' So he sent me to you…." She sobbed. "It's ok Irene; you can stay here with us." Irene hugged Rachel the best she could with her short arms. She then glanced at Conan who looked as though he were ready to cry. Irene gave him a wink, and then whipped away her tears. Isabella then knew that this was going to be easy. All those years of acting classes, theater clubs and performing in plays, her acting was going to pay off where she wanted it for most; in the detective field.

Hours had passed since Irene arrived at the Moore residents. She sat on the floor of their living room watching TV absent mindedly. Conan sat beside her and glanced in her direction. He cleared his throat. "Yes Conan?" She asked him softly as she turned to look at him. "How did you put that story together so quick and make it so believable?" he asked her. Irene smiled at him. "Most of it was true fact." she stated. "Fact?" he questioned. Irene nodded her head. "Yes. How you and I got to talking was because of Sherlock Holmes, my mother was indeed a fan of Sherlock as well and she did pass away two years ago. So yes, I do miss my mom. My father also wanted to name me Irene but my mother decided on Isabella." She stated to him. "How did she die?" Conan asked her. Irene lay down on the floor, her long golden lock spread out across the floor around her. She looked at the wall, and then glanced at him. "She was murdered. Never did find out who it was though…." She stated as she shut her eyes. "Miss her though; she never failed to make the best chewy chocolate chip cookies." Irene's face lit up with joy as she curled up. "I miss those cookies." She yawned softly, then dosed off. Conan sat beside her and played with a lock of her hair. His smile was sadly soft. _'It must hurt so much to be alone like that. Her father doesn't even live here with her… At least my parents are still around. Hers don't even know what happened to her.'_ Conan looked around the room then spotted the clock. _'Twelve o'clock already? I should be getting her to a bed… but how?' _Conan thought to himself. But perfect timing hit when Rachel walked out the bathroom with a yawn. "Conan? What are you doing up so late?" She asked him. "shhh." He placed a finger at his lips and pointed to Irene. "She's sleeping." Rachel looked down at her with soft, tired and saddened eyes. "That poor kid, I wonder where is her father." Rachel said softly. Conan nodded with her. Rachel bent down and lifted the young blond into her arms and carried her to her room. "Rachel, where will I sleep?" Conan asked her as he pointed to himself with a lost face."With Irene, why?" she asked him as she walked into her room and Conan followed. "Just asking." He smiled sheepishly. As he crawled into bed with Irene's already sleeping body. "Good night Conan" Rachel said with a yawn as she shut the light off and crawled into bed herself. Conan rolled over and looked at Irene. He began to play with her hair. He smiled at her sleeping form. _'She is so beautiful… I wonder why she never had a boyfriend after living here for so long.'_ Conan thought. Irene wrapped one arm around Conan and held tight, making sure he didn't get away from her. Conan's face flashed bright red. "Jim…my…" she whispered out in her sleep and a tear slid down her face. _'Man, have I made her suffer this much…. She and Rachel have been through so much because of me…' _ Conan sighed and shut his eyes drifting into sleep.

"Help; Help me!" Irene kicked and squirmed in the bed beside Conan screaming at the top of her lungs at nearly 5 in the morning. "Mama!" she screamed. Conan sat up from a kick to the stomach and grabbed hold of her and tried to wake her up. Irene began to cry hysterically. "Rachel, help me." Conan called to her. Rachel woke up slowly and saw that Irene was having a violent nightmare. She jumped from her bed and got on the floor beside them. She grabbed Irene into her arms and shook up. "Irene wake up!" she said as Irene then grabbed hold of Rachel, hugging her tightly. "Mama…" she whimpered softly. Rachel cradled Irene in her arms and looked at Conan who looked worried. "I think she'll be alright now." She said softly as she laid Irene back down. Conan curled up with Irene and watched her sleep for two straight hours to make sure she didn't have another reaction like this last one. Conan finally closed his eyes to rest again, when suddenly he felt a weight on top of him. He opened his eye to see what it was and saw Irene on top of him. "I-Irene… what are you doing?" He stuttered out. "Irene?" he said softly. Irene leaned close to him, her face inches away from him. "Jimmy…" She whispered softly, and then collapsed on top of him. Conan slowly rolled Irene over and got up. _'I can't keep doing this! She's going to be the end of me!'_ Jimmy though. He got out of bed and went to the living room. Conan stood at the window looking at the dead streets below. "Conan?" a soft voice came from behind him. Conan turned around to see a weary Irene. "Irene, you ok?" he asked her. She nodded her head. "Nightmares... I have them often." she rubbed her eyes lightly. When the moonlight hit them, they glistened with hues of purple mixed in the fuchsia. "What are the nightmares about?" he asked her softly. "A lot of things; a lot of murder cases haunt me sometimes, my mother's murder get to me once in a while and then there was this reoccurring dream I was having for month that you were dead. I remember standing over your body countless times crying like it actually happened and just waking up every time thinking: 'I'll never see him again.'" She took a deep breath. "I wish you told me earlier Jimmy. I've been dying trying to find you." She growled softly. "I've lost sleep, my grades dropped. You could have at least called once or twice. I know you'd call Rachel all the time, but even so… it didn't make that fear in my chest vanish." She held her hands close to her chest. "The next time you get into trouble, you better come to me. I can't stand losing more people in my life… especially my best friend. I can't do it…" Irene lowered her head and walked away. "Irene…" He said trying to get her attention. "I'll see you in a few hours." She called back to him, and then went back to bed.

"Conan, wake up." Irene said as she rocked him back and forth on the living room couch. "Dude, we got school get ready." She said softly. "School? You?" he asked confused. "Rachel enrolled me in the school you're in this morning." She stated as she buttoned up a black vet over a light blue shirt. She was also sporting a short black skirt with blue knee high socks. Her blond hair was pulled into a pony tail that fell down her back. "Come on Conan, I don't want to be late!" she shouted to him as she walked out the living room. Conan blinked a few times before getting up and getting changed. "Where's my bow tie…." Conan murmured out as he dug through his belongings. "Do you mean this?" Irene asked in her original Isabella voice as she spoke through the bow tie. "Irene!" he shouted as he went to grabbed it. Irene stepped back quickly. "So this is how Richard solves those cases." She laughed. Irene enjoyed hearing her adult voice again; it was nice. "Isabella, give me the boy tie!" he shouted. "Isabella?" Rachel asked as she walked into the room. "Why'd you call Irene Isabella, Conan?" she inquired. Irene shrunk up, not knowing what to do. "I said Isabella?" Conan asked, trying to cover up his very loud mistake. "Yeah, why?" she asked him again. "She does kind of looks like Isabella, don't you think?" Conan asked Rachel with a sheepish smile. "Isabella?" Irene asked. "Yeah, she used to work with Jimmy on a few cases. She's an amazing detective. I'm amazed Jimmy hadn't mentioned her to you Irene. She's almost as cocky as he is ha-ha. You'd think they were related if she wasn't so blond." Rachel laughed. Irene's eye twitched, it felt as if Rachel were belittling and complementing her at the same time. She wasn't sure to feel agitated or happy. "What's wrong with blond?" Irene asked as she threw Conan's bow tie at him. "Oh no nothing, just Jimmy's hair is so dark! And her hair is so bright. But her eyes… they are an amazing color. Sort of like your eyes Irene." Rachel said softly. "She's been under a lot of stress since Jimmy left. She looks like she's in such pain all the time." Rachel said so low that it seemed as though it were under her breath. "She sounds beautiful." Irene said softly. "She is." Conan said as he glanced at her. Irene's face turned light pink. "We're ganna be late!" she said flustered and ran out the room. She slipped her black boots on and ran down the steps. _'Ok, so we're in Teitan Elementary. I remember where that is… just gotta get there.' _ She thought quickly and buttoned up her little coat. _'This is so weird. I'm so tiny!'_ she thought as she walked a few blocks. "Hello Irene." A voice said from behind her. Irene turned her head and gave a small smile. "Hello Vi. What are you up to?" Irene asked her as she continued walking. "Heading to school. You?" she responded. "Same thing. Do you attend Teitan Elementary like Conan?" she asked her. "Yes. Is that where you've been enrolled?" Vi asked her. Her voice seemed so dull, it was strange. "Yeah, Rachel enrolled me this morning." Irene informed. Vi nodded her head and continued to look ahead of them. As they approached the school Vi sighed at the sight of George, Amy and Mitch. Irene looked at her and glanced at the small group awaiting her arrival. "Hi Vi!" George shouted to her as Mitch and Amy both waved to her. Vi looked sort of agitated with them, as if she didn't want to be there. Irene approached with her and shyly stood back a little. "Hey Vi, who's that?" Mitch asked her point to Irene. "That's Irene Vine. She's a new transfer student from France." Vi informed them. They all looked at Irene in awe, and then went running to her in curiosity. "How's your Japanese?" Amy asked her. "It's clear." She responded. "wow that's so cool!" Amy said in excitement. "How long have you been in Japan?" Mitch asked her. "For a few weeks now." She answered. "what are your names?" Irene asked them. "I'm George." George stated happily. "I'm Mitch." "and I'm Amy." They stated. Irene smiled. "Beloved." she said softly. "I'm sorry?" Amy responded. "Your name is a French name. in English, your name means beloved or in Japanese it would be Saiai." Irene stated. "I only recognized it because it was my mother's name." she said softly with a sweet smile. "Was?" Mitch asked. "Yes. She passed recently." She said softly. "A while before I moved here actually." She added. "Oh, I'm sorry." Amy said to her in a sorrowful voice. "It's ok, cause justice will prevail, and it always does." She smiled happily. "Vi, is Conan not coming today?" Amy asked and Vi shrugged. "He's just running late today." Irene told her. The group looked at Irene strangely. "Oh, um….. I'm living with the Moore family because Jimmy Kudo requested it." She informed them. "So you live with Conan?" George asked. "Yeah…" Irene responded. Now she felt weird. Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell them? "Where are your parents?" Mitch asked. "I don't know where my father is. My mother was one of Jimmy's murder cases, but while on the case, my father sort of poofed, like we've no idea where he is." She said in a quickened tone. "Oh I see…" Amy said. Suddenly, her eyes lit up like fireworks. "Conan!" she screamed and ran to him to give him a hug. "Hi Amy, Mitch, George." He said happily. "Have you guys met Irene?" he asked them. "Yes." They all answered. Conan smiled at her and Irene looked away with a minor blush. "What time does class start?" she asked them. "In 10 minutes." Mitch told her. "Ok. Thanks." She responded and began to walk to the doors. "What's with her?" Amy asked. "She's kind of shy in a strange way." Conan said softly. He smiled thinking back to the day he met her.

**~* Jimmy's Flash Back*~**

**A transfer student with long legs and long back covering blond hair walked into the room. Her eyes were fuchsia. She had her arms wrapped tightly around a Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes book. This caught Jimmy's eyes right away. "This is our new transfer student Isabella Thorn. She's just moved her from France with her parents and she will be starting this semester with us." Their homeroom teacher announced. Isabella bowed respectfully. "H-hello…" she managed out. The teacher pointed to the empty seat beside Jimmy Kudo. She nodded her head and scurried to the seat. She sat down and placed her book on the desk in front of her. Jimmy leaned over and glanced around the room. ****_'Looks like Rach aren't here today.' _**** He thought to himself. He then leaned over move, then inched his table closer to her. "Hi." He said softly to her. Isabella nodded her head wanting to not be rude. "So you like Sherlock Holmes too?" He asked her softly. Isabella looked over at him and smiled. "yeah." She answered in a nearly whisper of a voice but her smile was bright. It nearly lit up the room. She made Jimmy smile, jut with her own. "I love Sherlock. He's been my inspiration to be the greatest detective ever lived." Jimmy said with confidence. "That's funny." Isabella began. "How so?" He asked her. "I feel the same way. I use to read all the Conan Doyle books as a child. I eventually even had my own detective squad back home. Through my middle school years back home I began doing my own detective work." She told him. She smiled proudly. "I'm what they called 'le grand détective dame Sherlock' which is French for 'The Great Lady Sherlock.' I was a better detective than anyone on the force in Paris. They tried to solve many things themselves but eventually would just call home for me." She smiled. "I am the greatest Detective in Europe." She bragged slightly. "I've even been bothered to work with Scotland Yard at some point." She said proudly. She giggled and Jimmy smirked at her. "You sound like the female me." He announce to her. Isabella gave him a confused look. "I'm the greatest detective in all Japan, no one has out done me and…" Jimmy leaned in even closer to Isabella; his face mere inches from her own. "No one ever will be greater than me." He told her cockily with that devilish smirked of his. Isabella's face flushed red from the closeness but her eyes had determination. "I bet I can prove you wrong." She responded in a cocky tone of her own that sound just a little sexy in a strange way. "You're on." He announced to her. They smirked at one another. Jimmy say back in his chair, pushing it back slightly and rocking it a bit. "By the way." He began. Isabella looked at him with confusion. "yeah?" she inquired. "You are very beautiful." He smiled his award winning smile he'd always given Rachel. Isabella's face flushed red. Completely embarrassed she grabbed her book and got up from her seat. "Something wrong?" he asked her. Isabella shook her head, her shyness was kicking back in. they had the art of being a detective in common, that's why she spoke; but now he was being a normal guy and she was getting nervous. Isabella raced out the room. ****_'I hope I didn't offend her… but she is absolutely beautiful. Nicer legs than Rachel that's for sure. Her eyes are an amazing color too.' _****Jimmy than smirked to himself at his realization. ****_'She's the shy type. I made her feel embarrassed.'_**** He laughed to himself and sat right at his chair. "She is going to be a challenge. I can feel it." He said happily**

**~*Flash Back Over*~**

Conan sat beside Irene. All he could do was look at her. _'She's still beautiful' _He thought to himself for a moment, and then began on his class work. The day flew by them and as it did Irene had bonded with Amy, Mitch and George and even a little with Vi. By lunch Irene had come to the conclusion that being a little kid again was going to be easy and this time she would be learning completely different thinks. Her younger years were in France. She'd been given the chance to start them over in Japan and she was going to take advantage of it the most she could.

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Hey! Lawlietlover her! I just wanted to apologize greatly for haven taken so damn long to post a second chapter to this story. but i've finally gotten it up. forgive me. i am just starting to write mystery stories so if the first few cases they handle aren't very well written i would like for you to bare with me cause my writing is only enhancing! I've finally gotten my computer back up and running so there will hopefully be more chapters up soon for both my fanfics. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the many more to come! Lawlietlover- out! XD


	3. Chapter 3: The Death-Defying Reception

Chapter Three: The Death-Defying Reception

Months had passed since Isabella (now Irene) had moved into the Moore residence. She'd finally adjusted to their way and life style. She managed to accompany them on a few small cases. It was a bright spring morning and everyone in the Moore house was sound asleep; all but Conan and Irene. "Irene?" Conan called softly through the house looking for his blonde companion. "Irene? Where are you?" he asked out loud as he searched the apartment. He managed his way into the bathroom to see if she were taking a bath. Nope, not there either. Irene was absolutely nowhere to be found in the house and Conan could think of nowhere else she could possibly be. "Where is she…" he asked himself a bit frantic. _'She wouldn't know what to do if she came in contact with the organization. She could get hurt'_ Conan thought to himself as he became more nervous. "Where the hell is she!" he screamed in frustration.

"Damn, I've got a lot of mail…" Irene said as she flipped through all of her old mail. She's been keeping up with her rent the best she can so she could still have her apartment. "Hm; what's this?" Irene said as she pulled out an envelope with her name and address printed on it in a pretty font. Irene quickly opened the envelope to see a wedding invitation. Her eyes widened then began to tear. "Really Janine, so soon…" she said softly. Irene sighed and dug into her pocket to find Conan's bow tie. She then grabbed the house phone and dialed the RSVP number. It rang a few times before a sweet voice came on. "Hello?" it said in a chipper tone. "Hey Janine, its Isabella." she said softly as she sat on her couch. "Oh my god; you're alive! I've been so worried about you Issy!" Janine exclaimed from the opposite line. "I'm so sorry, I've been very busy. A lot of cases have been coming up." She lied. _'I'm starting to sound just like Jimmy… just great.'_ She thought to herself. "Listen Janine, I've just come home for today to pick some stuff up and I'm out of here again. I really want to attend the wedding but I have more business to take care off. Can I send some people in my place?" Isabella asked her in a soft voice. "Uh… sure… who do you have in mind?" Janine asked her. "This little girl I know. She's a friend of Jimmy Kudo. Her name is Irene Vine and she'll be accompanied by Conan Edogawa and Richard and Rachel Moore." Isabella said in a happy tone. "Oh, sure, that's fine." Janine said happily. "Thanks Janine. I'll call again soon." Isabella said softly. "Sure things love… by the way Isabella?" Janine started softly. "Yeah?" she answered. "You should contact my brother soon…" Janine said softly. "Does he miss me that much…?" Isabella asked softly. "Yes… hey!" Janine's voice sounded far away. "Isabella! Where have you been! Where are you now!" a strong male voice came on the line. Isabella could feel a warm feeling in her heart. _'He sounds like Rachel when Jimmy use to call her.'_ "Chill out Gerald! I'm fine." "I didn't ask if you're fine Isabella! Where have you been?" He asked her angrily, his voice shook. "Tell me." He demanded. Isabella bit her lip, tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry, Gerald… I have to go… I'll call again soon, I promise." "Isabella talk-" Irene hung up the phone and curled up into a ball on her couch. "I'm so sorry…." She cried into her lap. "I want to be me again!" she screamed and held herself tightly. _'at least I'm not alone…. At least I have Jimmy with me…'_ she thought to herself. Irene looked at the clock with cloudy eyes. They widened quickly. "Oh crap…" she said under her breath and grabbed the house phone again, quickly dialing a number. It rang only once. "Hello?" an anxious Conan answered the phone. "Hello Conan." Isabella replied. "Irene! Where the hell are you!" he screamed into the phone. "I need you to address me by my real name right now, it's important." She said in a serious tone. "Tell Rachel and Richard that the four of you are taking my place at a friend's wedding this up coming weekend." Isabella instructed. "What friend?" Conan asked in a serious voice. "Janine…" she said softly. No one really ever liked Janine because she was always portrayed as a bad person. But Isabella couldn't understand why. Janine was always so sweet and caring with her. She was also a few years older than Isabella as well, but she still couldn't understand why people hated her so much. "Why?" Conan asked her, his voice was agitated. "Because I told her we would all go… because I know I won't be there for her on her big day as me." Isabella said softly. Conan growled slightly. "Fine..." he mumbled out. "Get home soon." He growled. "I will be…" Isabella said softly. She hung up the phone. "What's his issue?" Irene questioned out loud. She shrugged and left the apartment, heading back to the Moore residence.

"Hey Conan," Irene started softly. "Yeah?" he responded as he pulled his jacket on. "Why don't you like Janine?" She asked him. Conan's eyes became sharp as he looked back at her, venom in his stare. "She likes to ruin lives." He hissed out. "How?" Irene asked confused. "Ask Rachel…" Conan answered as he pulled his sneakers on. "No, I'm asking you." Irene growled slightly. "So tell me." She demanded. "She told everyone at school that Rachel was pregnant. Rachel and I had just started high school at the time. It ruined her for a few months. When you came, things had already settled down. Girls were constantly calling her a slut and guys were always trying to get her to have sex with them." Conan told her, his voice was soft, but it sounded harsh. "I didn't know that… why'd she do it?" Irene asked her. "She wanted me." He growled out. "You; you're telling me she tried to ruin a girl's life cause she wanted you? Please say that's a joke." Irene said in a 'matter-of-fact' tone. "She told me exactly that. She wanted Rachel out of the picture because she wanted me to herself. That girl is evil, sheer venom runs in her veins." He stated as he tied his laces. Irene pulled her shoes on, and then grabbed a jean jacket. "That's pretty messed up." She stated as she pulled her long hair out of her jacket. Irene opened the door and headed for the steps. Everything became a blur; she couldn't see a thing, not even a hand in front of her face. "Conan!" she screamed as her hands began to shake. "Conan!" she screamed again as she collapsed on the floor rubbing her eyes. "Help!" she yelled. Conan came racing out the door to see her on the floor. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly. "I can't see anything! Everything is blurry; Conan, help me…" she began to tear up. "I'll go get Rachel." He told her as her ran back in the apartment. "Rachel!" Conan called to her from outside her bedroom door. "What is it Conan?" she asked as she opened the door. "Something is wrong with Irene's eyes! She says she can't see anything!" he told her. Rachel grabbed a jean jacket of her own from behind her door and ran to the entrance door. "Irene what happened honey." She asked her. "I can't see….. Everything is blurry." She cried. "Blurry… You might need glasses Irene." Rachel told her. _'Not glasses!'_ Irene thought "come on, I'll call a cab." Rachel told her as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. Not long after a cab pulled around and Rachel took Irene and Conan into the car. "Where are we going?" Irene asked. "To the eye doctor, you need a checkup kido." Rachel told her. Isabella wanted to scream; she wore glasses throughout her childhood and swore off glasses for the rest of her life. '_That's what happened!'_ Isabella thought. Her contacts had fallen out and she hadn't noticed! _'Stupid contacts fell out!'_ Irene buried her face in her lap in the back of the cab. Conan looked at her with soft eyes. "It's ok Irene." He reassured her. "I'm going to look like such a dork now." She said, sounding as though she were going to cry. "No you won't." Rachel also reassured her. "I lost my old glasses on purpose!" Irene said in a sad voice. Rachel shook her head as Conan rubbed Irene's back.

"Ok, here are your new glasses." The doctor told Irene as he handed her a pair of black rectangular framed glasses. Irene sighed, her eyes red from crying. She put them on and looked over at Conan and Rachel. Rachel smiled and gave a small clap of her hands. "You look so cute! Don't you think Conan?" Irene looked at him through her new glasses. Her fuchsia eyes looked so much bigger now and so much more beautiful. Conan blushed softly and smiled. "You look pretty with glasses, Irene." He said softly. Irene's face flashed red and she scurried out of the office. Conan looked confused and followed her out who was followed by Rachel. They got into another cab to head home. Irene sat the entire time in silence, looking out the window through her new glasses. "Oh! Rachel, Isabella called today." Conan stated. Rachel looked at him as though he said a ghost called. "What?" She asked. "Yeah, she said she was in town for like, an hour picking up clothes. She was being called to England to help Scotland Yard with another case. She said she's sending us in her place to a wedding of someone named Janine." Conan said softly. Rachel smiled and nodded. "Ok, sounds fun" she said happily. Irene looked over at Conan confused. He looked back at her and shook his head. It then hit her; Rachel must have never known who told those rumors about her. Irene narrowed her eyes and then hit Conan. "Ow!" he responded and glanced at her like she lost it. The cab came to a stop and Irene hopped out and ran back inside the building. "Irene!" Conan called out from behind her as he ran up the steps, tailing her completely. "Irene!" he called back to her. "You told me to ask Rachel, why? She doesn't even know it was Janine!" Irene said aggravated. "I just didn't want to tell you, ok." He informed her. Irene growled slightly then headed into her room that she and Conan now shared. "What are you doing?" he asked her. "The wedding is in two days. I need to find a dress to wear." She informed him as she rummaged through her clothes. "Irene, you don't have any dresses… you don't even have that many clothes here as it is." Conan told her as he sat on his bed. Irene looked back at him, eyes still narrowed, "Leave me alone…" she told him in a cold tone. Irene got to her feet and left the room with heavy feet as she headed to Rachel's room. "Rachel?" Irene knocked on her door. Rachel opened the door with a smile. "Yea Irene?" she responded. "Can we go dress shopping?" she asked softly. "I don't have anything to wear for the wedding…" She said softly. Rachel's face lit up. "Sure!" she said happily and grabbed a jacket to take Irene shopping.

**2 Days Later**

"Irene!" Conan called into the house looking for his blond companion. "Hold on!" she screamed back as she walked out of their room in a long light blue dress with a baby pink ribbon wrapped around her waist and one holding her hair out of her face and to complete it a pair of baby pink shoes on her feet and a small pink side bag. She smiled at Conan softly. "How do I look?" she asked him with a blush of the cheeks. Conan smiled at her "Beautiful." He said happily. Irene smiled happily until she saw a look in Conan's face change. Her smile faded as she turned around to see Rachel sporting a knee length lavender dress with a white flower on the hip and one strap on the left arm. Her hair was held high in a spiral pony tail. "Wow" Conan said breathlessly while Irene simply smiled. Rachel grabbed their hands and took them out the house and into a car where her father was waiting for them. Irene looked out the window of the car the whole ride as Conan looked at Irene, he felt like something was wrong with her, like something was bothering her. Conan grabbed her hand and held it tight. Irene looked at him with a sad smile and then back to the window.

After a long wedding ceremony, it was time for the reception where there was food and cake for all, this made Irene more excited than anything. Hours had passed since the reception had started and the sun had already fallen, storm clouds engulfed the sky and swallowed it whole as the rain began to pour down outside. The winds became violent and harsh. One moment the entire reception was doing the cha-cha slide and the next screaming at the top of their lungs in fear as the lights shut off, hard thunder hit and large bright shots of lightning raced through the sky. A blood curdling scream could be heard from the center of the floor as the thunder crashed and lighting lit the sky. Irene quickly grabbed onto Conan making sure to not separate from one another. "Irene, move!" Conan cried out as she shoved her out of the way causing Irene to fall and slide across the floor as somebody landed on Conan. Someone finally found a generator and hit the lights.

Rachel ran over to Irene to make sure she was ok and then screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw what was on top of Conan. "Oh my god!" a woman screamed as she backed away from Janine bloody corpse which rested on small Conan. Her once white wedding gown was now the color of crimson. Her throat was slit and her head nearly decapitated. Her blood cover Conan like a blanket. Conan scrambled to his feet the quickest he could. Everyone stared at the young boy as though he had multiple heads on his shoulders. "You killed my sister!" Ember screamed as she pointed to a woman with long brown hair and deep blue eyes. "Excuse me!" she screamed back. "You must be out of your mind child! Why would I kill your sister with my child here?" she asked Ember. "Because you're crazy and you always have been. You've always hated my sister, you were always jealous of her Marissa!" Ember added. "What was there to be jealous of?" Marissa asked with a laugh. "She could bear children." Ember informed her. Marissa glared at her. "That doesn't change who she was though." Marissa growled. Rachel began to clean Conan off right away as Richard came between the bride's sister and the woman named Marissa. "Any children in the room should be removed immediately and taken to a safe haven." Richard demanded. Conan glanced out the window and thought of every guest in the room. "Someone here has murdered our bride." Richard stated in a cold serious tone. Irene ran behind Rachel and stood there until Richard wasn't paying attention. Richard bent down and began to examine the body. "Clearly someone with amazing upper body strength." He then stated. Richard now looked around the room at all the guest as Conan took his gander at the corpse. _'Richard is right about that for once. Someone with a lot of upper body strength had to have done this; but who?'_ Jimmy thought as he looked around the room at all the guests, trying to make heads or tails of who would want to kill Janine. _'A lot of people actually.' _ Jimmy thought with a chuckle. "What the hell is going on here?" a gruff voice asked as he entered the room. Richard, Conan, Irene and Rachel turned to see Inspector Meguire. "Meguire!" Richard called happily. "Moore; What are you doing here?" the inspector asked as he walked over to him. "We were invited." Richard laughed out nervously as he scratched his head. Just then, Dimitri, the groom, walked into the ball room whipping his hands. "Where were you Dimitri?" Inspector Meguire asked him. "The bathroom, why; something wrong?" he asked in a worried tone. The crowd scattered and revealed Janine's body on the floor of the ball room, blood still pooling around her. "Everyone needs to pick a spot and stay there. And stay in this room." Richard stated. "Who put you in charge?" Ember asked. "I did, I'm also a detective so deal with it." Ember looked mildly shocked back immediately calmed down.

Richard paced the front of the room where everyone was seated. "Who here had issues with Janine?" he asked the room. "And be honest would you?" he asked them in an annoyed voice. To his surprise nearly everyone in the room raised their hand, including Ember. Richard went over everyone's problems with Janine. Only 5 people really stood out to Jimmy. Mr. Alexander- Janine's boss, Toinette- Janine's best friend of 7 years, Betsy- the Groom's ex-girlfriend, Marissa – One of the people Janine bullied most and Ember- Janine's sister. Janine had been blackmailing her boss for a larger raised bi-weekly. Turns out the man was a bit of a lecher and Janine slept with him a few times. In order for it to not get back to his wife, she bribed him into giving her more money. As for Toinette, turns out Janine was stealing from Toinette's home, constantly upstaging her on her own projects and even stole the idea to the book Toinette had written and made big money out of it, not giving her a single penny from it. It sounds normal that the groom's ex would hate the bride, right? Of course! But in this case, Betsy had a damn good reason. She had been engaged to Dimitri for 3 years, had been pregnant with his child and was Janine's geeky cousin. Janine caused Betsy to miscarriage, demolished her and Dimitri's relationship then took Dimitri from under Betsy's feet. Janine made Marissa's life hell through all her school years causing her mental and social issues now as an adult and once beat her so bad that she made it impossible for Marissa to ever have kids. Ember made their sibling rivalry seem as though things were a lot worse than they should have been between siblings. Janine would get drunk and beat up on Ember, she would belittle her constantly and even forced Ember to drop out of advanced classes that should have gotten her skipped into high school from the 7th grade just so she could cook and clean in her home since their mother passed and their father was nowhere to be found. _'Ok, who has the brute strength to behead someone like that…?'_ Jimmy thought. _ 'Someone who works out, Mr. Alexander would be at the top of my list. She has caused him a stroke twice and has made his life a living hell. Betsy would have the strongest motive. Motive for revenge can push people to train to push their bodies past their breaking point, plus adrenalin can give anyone the proper strength to decapitate one's head. Toinette's motive is the weakest and if she were to do anything, there has been plenty of social events for her to commit this murder ages ago. Ember comes in second to Betsy. Being abused like that can drive somebody over the edge, but other than the abuse, Ember has always been at Janine's hip willingly and she loved her sister. I pretty sure I can rule out Toinette, she's so frail anyways. She wouldn't be able to commit this murder like this. Ember is a weight lifter though and she plays many hard sports. She's also on the boxing team at our school…. But Janine would have been more bruised… who could it be?' _Jimmy thought over all of their motives. He just had to review their alibis. '_Start with the weakest I suppose.'_ He informed himself. "Toinette, where were you when the lights went out?" Conan asked him in his sweet small voice. Toinette looked at him surprised. Richard then clobbered Conan over the head and tossed him in Rachel's way. "Stay out of it kid!" he snarled as he turned back to Toinette. "What the kid said." He said in a serious tone. "Katherine and I had been in the bathroom re-applying our makeup and taking care of girl things." Katherine cleared her throat. "It's true; I was with Toinette the entire time in the bathroom." Katherine responded. "We came running when we heard screams. The lights in the bathroom never went off so we didn't understand what was going on." Toinette added. "I see. Were there anyone else with you girls in the bathroom?" Conan asked. "I was dear." And elderly woman responded, Janine's Grandmother Misty. "The girls were in the rest room the entire time?" Richard asked the elderly woman. "Yes." she nodded with her small frail voice. "Thank you Ms. Misty." Richard said and turned his attention to Mr. Alexander. "Ok, so what about you Mr. Alexander?" Richard asked him. "I was by the punch bowl spiking my drink with some vodka. I had been holding a conversation with Janine's uncle Billard." Mr. Alexander answered him. "Mr. Billard is this true?" "Yes, but when the lights had gone out I could no longer hear Mr. Alexander and when they came back he had been a distance away from me on the ground breathing franticly." Billard informed Richard. _'That sounds like he had run across the ball room, performed the act then ran back. He's not exactly fit, so all that running would take the breath from him.'_ Jimmy thought. "I've solved the case! Mr. Alexander killed Janine!" "What? No! I swear I didn't!" "Really, then why were you so far away from him and out of breath Mr. Alexander?" Richard asked him. "I have nyctophobia or scotophobia. I am absolutely terrified of the dark. When the lights went out I panicked." He stated. "Can anyone here vouch for you on this phobia?" Richard asked cockily. Mr. Alexander shook his head. "Only Janine, she uses to pull prank like that on me in the office after hours." He said as his hands shook a bit. _'Sounds like something Janine would have done.'_ Isabella thought to herself. "What of you Ember? Where were you when your sister was killed?" Jimmy asked her. Ember hung her head low. "I was dancing with her. When the lights went out I heard her scream in fear from the lights suddenly shutting out. Someone pushed me to the ground, and then I heard that horrid scream and a loud thud. Then the lights came on and I saw what it was. I immediately assumed it was Marissa that did it because of all her past problems with her." Ember told him. "I see. So your alibi doesn't save you much do it. Cause when the lights came on, you on your feet like you had never fallen." Irene glared a little at her. "What about you Betsy?" Conan asked her. "I was all over the dance floor at the time. When the lights had gone out I was with the Groom. Actually, to be more correct, when the lights went out I threw myself at him. Why do you think he was in the restroom?" Betsy smirked. "He was cleaning off my lipstick. I ran after him until I heard the scream coming from the ballroom. I came running back in fear my little brother might have gotten hurt. But low and behold when I got back, the lights came on and this bitch was dead." She stated. "Don't get me wrong, I'd like to shake the hand of the person that did it, but ask Dimitri, I was with him the whole time." Betsy smirked. "I-its true…." Dimitri confessed in embarrassment. "And honestly, I hadn't heisted when she threw herself at me, I kind of accepted it. She followed me. Told me she heard a scream. I saw the worry in her eyes. I hadn't heard anything, but I told her to go check for Steven." Dimitri informed Conan and Irene. They nodded their heads. _'So the only two that have a motive and bad alibis are Mr. Alexander and Ember...'_ Isabella thought and then glanced at Conan who nodded his head in agreement. Gerald finally resurfaced into the room and looked around and then at his sisters corpse. "There you are Gerald." She said softly. _'The only two people with the brute strength to do to Janine what they did would Mr. Alexander and Ember, but which one…..'_ Irene looked around to maybe find the murder weapon. It was nowhere in sight. As she glanced at her suspects she glimpsed her murderer and smirked excitedly. _'I got it!'_ Irene tugged on Conan and explained her theory. Conan walked closer to Irene's suspect and fell purposely, spotting the murder weapon hidden on their body. He gave her the thumbs up and she smiled excitedly. "Go Conan!" she giggled out. Conan shot Richard with a tranquilizer dart, knocking him out. Richard fell perfectly into one of the chairs. Conan and Irene ran behind under the table beside the chair that Richard now resigned in. "I've solved the case Meguire." Conan announced in Richard's voice. "Rachel, could you do me a favor? Go stand beside Mr. Alexander please." He asked Rachel. She nodded her head and stood beside him. "You, in the grey suit." He then said. "What's your name?" "Gerald." He stated. "I need you to shut off the lights real quick." Gerald nodded his head and ran to the ball rooms light switch, shutting the lights off. A loud was heard across the room. Mr. Alexander who had been directly in front of Rachel began to have a panic attack. He hit the floor and began to try and crawl away. "Turn the lights on!" Conan screamed with Richard's voice. She held Mr. Alexander near to her and cradled him. "Shhh, you're ok. You're ok." She told him softly till he calmed. Two men helped Mr. Alexander to a table. "Everyone but you, Ember; everyone's alibi checks out accept yours." Richard smiled. "You can't prove it!" "Yes I can. The most blood is on your dress." "I was dancing with my sister when it happened!" Ember defended. "The attack was done from the front with a lot of force; there would be no blood on your dress if that's still your alibi. You also said you were pushed to the ground, so much blood still wouldn't be on you and when the lights were revived, you were standing." Conan stated with a smirk smirked. "Hey, what's this?" Irene said as she pulled a sharp butcher like knife from under Ember's dress. "Busted kid." he told her. Ember panicked and pulled the butcher knife from Irene's hand and backed away from everyone holding the knife out in front of her. "You don't understand! She would have killed me! It was either she dies or I die! I rather her die! Why should I, I haven't even lived my life yet!" she screamed. "Ember put the knife down." Rachel demanded as she walked just a little closer. "No!" Ember screamed. A few cops pulled their guns out and point at the girl "Put the knife down Ember-Lee!" she screamed at her. Ember then dropped the knife and collapsed to her knees, tears flooding from her eyes. "It's unfair!" she cried. And at that moment she looked at Dimitri. "You know….. I did it for you too Dimitri…. She would have been the end of you." Ember smiled. "I love you too much to let a monster like her take you from the world…." Ember told him. She lowered her head. "I love you….. And I love you too much to allow you to have to deal with me too…." Ember said as she sat on the floor, tears coating her cheeks. "Take her away boys." Meguire announced to the other cops. They nodded and swarmed around Ember, taking the weapon away and cuffing her. Within those long 20 minutes, everything was solved and the evening became sadder than intended. Dimitri spoke with the cops and informed them that the girl needed mental treatments. They police agreed and Dimitri offered his services.

"What a night." Richard said with a tired sigh as the four of them got into the car Richard had rented. Conan leaned his tired head on Rachel's shoulder and Irene followed suit laying her head on his. Conan wrapped his arm around Irene's shoulders and the two fell fast asleep. Rachel smiled at the two young children and then removed Conan's glasses and tucking them in her purse for safe keeping. "Great job tonight dad." Rachel said softly. Her father smiled back at her and within an hour pulled up to their home. Richard grabbed Irene and Conan grabbed Conan, carrying them both into the house and placing them in bed. As Rachel left the room Irene sat up slowly rubbing her eyes. Rachel turned around and smiled at her. "You ok?" She asked in a soft voice. "Yes…" Irene managed through her yawn. "You really should get your sleep." Rachel said as she tucked her in once again and left the room. Irene eventually got out of the bed and snuck into Conan and fell fast asleep.

Irene sat in the living room the next day watching morning cartoons and eating cereal. Conan walked out and looked at her oddly. He sat beside her with narrowed eyes. "Why'd you sleep with me in my bed last night?" he asked her. "I didn't want to be alone in my own… some of the images from last night were bothering me." She said softly and leaned on him. Conan sighed. "How'd you sleep?" Irene asked. "I slept ok, you?" he asked her back. "Peacefully." She said in a sweet voice and then stood up. "I'm gonna go get dressed. Promised to hang out with Amy today." she giggled slightly and ran off, leaving Conan staring at her a little confussed.


End file.
